The FDA reported last month that small amounts of BPA that leach out of plastic bottles into liquids and food should not be considered dangerous. However, the National Toxicology Program, another federal agency reported concerns on the effects of BPA on brain development for fetuses and young children. The Yale School of Medicine did a study on primates finding that BPA “causes the loss of connections between brain cells” and could lead to memory and learning issues.
Our personal advice, and practice is to avoid BPA. The New York Times reports that scientists offer this advice:
* Avoid plastic containers that have the numeral 7 on the bottom. These are often made of BPA.
* Be careful of canned foods for children, which often have plastic seals with BPA
* Make a special effort to buy baby bottles that don’t use BPA
* Never microwave plastic food containers.